8 Wacky Crime Facts

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Did you know that 95 percent of the music downloads in the United States are downloaded illegally? Or did you know that an estimated 10,000 prostitutes flock to the Super Bowl every year?

Studies of these crime trends always make for good news headlines because it always makes you wonder “How is this happening?!”

Here’s a list of 8 crime studies and facts that will baffle you.

1. Disney-Made Town Had No Murders For 14 Years

Celebration, Florida, coined “Town that Disney built,” was as perfect as its name for over a decade, until a 58 year-old man was strangled to death in his home over Thanksgiving weekend 2010. The murder went unsolved for almost a week until a 28-year-old homeless man was charged with the crime. Although the crime was a tragic event in this immaculate community’s history, I cannot deny that this incident reminded me of Disney’s children’s movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”

2. The 2010 Super Bowl Was Predicted To Attract 10,000 Prostitutes

A study conducted by the Dallas Women’s Foundation about the commercial sexual exploitation of children caused authorities and the media to go into a frenzy about the dangers of human sex trafficking at the Super Bowl last year. Police, advocacy groups, and the media took this information and ran with it, some calling the Super Bowl “a hot bed of underage prostitution” — but was that what the study exactly meant? After further investigation, many journalists found that there were few to no reports of child prostitution in the past at Super Bowl’s, and there wasn’t much data that could prove that prostitutes attended the Super Bowl.

3. Traffic Crashes Cost More Than Crime In Michigan

Traffic crashes in Michigan cost $9.1 billion — $4.7 billion more than the cost of all crimes in the state, according to a study of the comprehensive costs in 2009. This is mostly due to the fact that Michigan is a No-Fault State, meaning car insurance companies must pay most of the economic losses you suffer in an automobile accident, regardless of who was at fault.

4. Over $35 Million Were Taken During Bank Robberies Last Year

Last year, out of 5,102 bank robberies in the United States, over $43 million was taken, but more than $8 million in loot was recovered. That’s over $35 million of money stolen from banks– the old fashioned way! Surprisingly, a group of robbers pulled a “The Town” inspired bank heist and successfully got away with $67,000 this year!

5. Alabama Judges Push For Death Penalties

Since 1976, Alabama state judges have overturned 107 jury decisions in capital cases, and in 92 percent of those cases, jury recommendations of life imprisonment were rejected in favor of death sentences, according to a report by the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit law firm based in Montgomery, Ala.

6. Over 100,000 Crimes Linked To Facebook

Facebook friends aren’t so friendly. Crimes linked to Facebook reached more than 100,000 across the country in the last five years. According to crime reports, many users have alerted officers to alleged acts of terrorism, sudden deaths, missing pets and even firearms offenses.

7. 95% of Music Downloads Are Pirated

It’s almost fair to say that ALL music downloaded from the Internet is pirated in America. The government has attempted to crack down on users who download and pirate music, but it’s an issue that is becoming commonplace.

8. “Driving While Black” (DWB) Traffic-Stops Do Happen

According to a study released by the Illinois Department of Transportation, after a traffic stop, minority drivers are more likely to receive traffic tickets and have their vehicles searched by police. This study proved that some police do violate the law, and the “Driving while Black” notion does hold some truth.